Career preparation, built into the Bethel experience

At Bethel University, preparing students to graduate is only part of the work. Just as important is preparing them for where God is calling them next—and that’s part of the conversation from the moment students connect with Bethel. 

So there’s a shift that’s happening in how students think about their callings in life. Instead of switching to a career-focused mindset in the final months of college, they can now base every decision on their long-term aspirations. Students are actively encouraged to consider how they’re wired, select areas of study that excite them, and weave together a life and network on campus that support their particular interests and needs.

“If you start a resume when you are a freshman, you are much more likely to think about the experiences you might want to fill in that resume later on,” says Sherryse Corrow, dean of the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education. “When you embed assignments pertaining to vocational exploration into your classes, students are much more likely to reflect on what they are called to do—this work ensures that students are getting a quality, well-rounded experience that begins right from the start of their time at Bethel.” 

This idea is now more intentionally integrated across campus through The Studio for Vocation and Calling, which launched in fall 2025 as both a physical hub in Bethel’s Clausen Center and a university-wide, comprehensive approach to career and vocational preparation. Instead of leaving career readiness to a few appointments at the end of college, Bethel is increasingly building it into every student’s experience through:

• career coaching
• resume development
• mock interviews
• networking
• mentorship
• internships

There are countless opportunities for a student to explore how their unique strengths, faith, and calling connect to meaningful work after Bethel. And that preparation extends beyond graduation.

Through the Bethel Career Commitment, students follow career development milestones throughout college to explore possibilities, gain experience, build professional connections, and prepare to launch their careers. If an eligible graduate hasn’t secured a job offer or graduate school acceptance within six months of graduation, Bethel will step in with meaningful support to help them get there.

Few universities offer this kind of built-in support after graduation, and the announcement made waves across higher education and local media. Stan Thompson, director of vocation, pathways, and partnerships, was interviewed live on WCCO in September 2025, shortly after the announcement of the Bethel Career Commitment, and several other outlets have covered it since.

But the bigger story is what happens before students ever reach that point: across Bethel, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and academic departments are finding new ways to make preparation for life after college part of college itself. 

As this year’s newest class of Royals gets its feet under them on campus, they’re beginning college at a moment when Bethel has made the path ahead clearer. After repositioning tuition to provide a more transparent, predictable price, Bethel is also making a stronger commitment to what that investment is designed to lead toward: meaningful experience, purposeful preparation, and a confident launch into career and calling. With a clear price and the Bethel Career Commitment, students can begin knowing what they’ll pay for college, how Bethel will help prepare them for what comes next, and that the university’s investment in their future doesn’t end when they cross the stage at commencement.

“So often we use the terms ‘career’ and ‘vocation’ interchangeably,” says Michelle Steffenhagen, teaching partner of psychology and manager of a three-year grant that helped fund Bethel’s expansion of career-related opportunities. “But at Bethel, we're really talking about your whole life, what you do—both paid work and unpaid work—and all the different roles that you have. Here, we talk about being ‘whole and holy people’ and how our whole lives are to be oriented toward God's glory and our neighbors’ good. We’re helping students answer that key question, ‘What does it mean to live a good life?’"

That expansive view of vocation isn’t meant to remain an abstract idea. Increasingly, Bethel is building opportunities to explore calling, career, and life after college directly into the academic experience. 

Faculty and program spotlight

“We’re working toward having career and job exploration totally built in to the curriculum within each major,” Thompson says. He notes it’s been pleasantly surprising how excited and creative faculty and staff have been in identifying opportunities and supporting this process. He also knows what’s at stake. “Parents are asking very pointed questions about the value of higher education. This is one way we can increase the value of a Bethel degree.”

Although involvement in fully fleshing out career conversations within a major is still optional for academic departments, 24 majors have already completed “curriculum mapping” with this goal in mind, and Bethel’s career team is actively engaged with the faculty of an additional 13 majors. More than 100 of about 850 total undergraduate courses offered this year will have vocation-related assignments or activities incorporated into them. 

The specifics vary by course and discipline, so we spoke with faculty from across Bethel’s undergrad programs to get a sense of how major selection, career exploration, and networking work in their departments. Here’s what they had to say:

Every program’s faculty is encouraged to consider how best to shape these experiences for their particular students, with the goal of achieving greater consistency and personalization across the board.

Bethel has long had a dedicated career team and resources available to students in all Bethel programs—and even alumni. But by embedding career preparation directly into the curriculum and starting vocational conversations early in a student's college experience, students no longer wait until senior year to figure out their next steps and these experiences happen more consistently across the student body. 

This proactive framework encourages students to intentionally tailor their majors, academic tracks, and extracurricular involvement to align with their unique gifts and career goals. Campus life is now anchored by regular career events—from networking panels to specialized gatherings like the STEM Employer Showcase—that bring regional hiring managers and alumni directly to campus. While fully weaving these resources into every academic department remains an evolving work in progress, the rising student participation and coaching numbers show that real, momentum-building progress is underway.

Student case studies

Maggie Cohrs ’27 is an English major with a minor in teaching preparation, and she’s used The Studio to take aptitude and personality tests, such as StrengthsFinder and Myers-Briggs. She set up a Handshake career exploration account to browse and apply for jobs and internships. She had a resume review with a career coach, got a professional headshot—a free service offered periodically to students, right on campus—and used The Studio team as a sounding board when switching her major. She’s also had support in setting up a LinkedIn profile and using it to reach out to Bethel alumni in her field. As she nears graduation, she has a clear plan in mind: to teach in London and then pursue a career in family law.

Bulungu Zanzu CAPS’25 recently finished Bethel’s post-baccalaureate nursing program and took advantage of The Studio to customize and strengthen her resume using SkillsFirst. Then she used Handshake to schedule mock-interview appointments with professionals in the field. Immediately after graduation, she began working as a nurse in a local hospital.

While these two stories highlight the personal impact of this type of guidance, their experiences reflect a broader shift that sets Bethel apart in higher education. Few institutions, if any, nationwide combine a fully integrated four-year career roadmap with a post-graduation safety net that guarantees a job offer or graduate school acceptance within six months. By replacing the traditional "opt-in" career center with a built-in model that spans every academic department and backs graduates with tuition waivers or temporary campus employment, Bethel is redefining what comprehensive student support looks like.

Cayla Slattery-Horstman, a former Bethel career coach, described the atmosphere in The Studio as soft and buzzing—literally and figuratively. On any given day, there’s coffee brewing. Staff, students, and faculty mingle and interact in comfortable, varied seating clusters throughout the space. And there are lots of ways for students to engage at their own pace—getting support when they need it, bouncing ideas off of mentors and friends, and walking away with the tools to take a next step or two. 

Right now, Steffenhagen and others across the university are launching a “calling to be a student” campaign, encouraging students to consider that God has them at Bethel right now for a reason, and that thinking about vocation and calling isn’t just for “some day,” but right now. More faculty are analyzing the coursework within their majors all the time, weaving in intentional touchpoints where students can better understand themselves, consider what’s possible, and take active steps toward thriving in their life and career. And The Studio team is facilitating more regular and diverse career and networking events for students.

Slattery-Horstman loves the electric atmosphere that's been built, where students are full of potential and fully supported. And as she thinks about the future, she knows this effort is just beginning. 

“I would love for every student to see the value of a college education because of how much their departments and programs prepare them for the real world,” she says. “I’d love to see employer showcases for every department. For every student to graduate with a nice, polished resume and amazing headshot, with tons of internship experience. We’re still coming into what that all looks like, but it’s happening, and it’s making a difference in our students’ confidence as they approach graduation.”

Launch your career at Bethel

Career preparation at Bethel is more than a final-semester checklist. Through The Studio for Vocation and Calling, students explore their God-given gifts, connect their calling to meaningful work, gain real-world experience, and build the skills and relationships to move confidently toward what’s next. See how The Studio is helping students prepare for life, work, and service beyond Bethel.

Learn more